Modern video game applications are largely divided into four major hardware platforms: Sony PlayStation®2 (PS2), Microsoft® Xbox, Nintendo GameCube™, and personal computer (PC) games. Each of these platforms is different than the others so that games written to run on one platform will not usually run on another platform. Even though the majority of software game developers create software games that are designed independent of a particular platform, to run a particular game on a specific platform a proprietary layer of software (frequently called a “game developer engine”) is needed to adapt the game for use on a specific platform. Each platform has its own video game box that usually runs a DVD or CD-ROM which contains the video game embodied in a sophisticated software program.
This situation is illustrated in the diagram of FIG. 8, in which the software game developer engine is shown as a layer of software located at a level above the hardware platform, and below the game application. Thus, when a software game developer, such as Activision, Inc., or Electronic Arts, Inc., creates an advanced game with real-time 3-D video graphics, they are required to port that game to run on one or more hardware platforms through the creation of a proprietary game development engine. The hardware platform manufacturers, of course, charge a fee to the software game developers for the privilege of publishing a game on their platform. This same situation also exists in the world of PC games. PC game developers design their video games so that they tend not to utilize operating system (OS) services that would commit them to rely upon a particular OS.
The problem with this situation is that games adapted for a particular platform do not run on a different platform. Moreover, users must purchase a video player box that is specific to a particular platform, and then purchase optical disks containing video games to run on that particular platform—and only that platform.